gonad

American  

[goh-nad, gon-ad] / ˈgoʊ næd, ˈgɒn æd /

noun

Anatomy.

1. a sex gland in which gametes are produced; an ovary or testis.

---

gonad British  

/ ˈɡɒnæd, ɡɒˈneɪdɪəl /

noun

1. an animal organ in which gametes are produced, such as a testis or an ovary

2. slang a foolish or stupid person

---

gonad Scientific  

/ gō′năd′ /

1. An organ in animals that produces reproductive cells (gametes). The ovary and testis are gonads.

---

Other Word Forms

• gonadal adjective
• gonadial adjective
• gonadic adjective

Etymology

Origin of gonad

1875–80; < New Latin gonad- (stem of gonas ), equivalent to gon- gon- + -ad- -ad ¹

Example Sentences

In humans, mutations in WT1 can lead to Frasier syndrome, which causes impaired kidney function and gonad development.

From Science Daily • Nov. 2, 2023

An increase in gonad hormone levels inhibits GnRH production through a negative feedback loop.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

In 2011, researchers showed that if another key ovarian gene, RSPO1, is not working normally, it causes XX people to develop an ovotestis—a gonad with areas of both ovarian and testicular development.

From Scientific American • Oct. 22, 2018

“What you do is you insert a small part of a nucleus into the gonad of a live oyster,” says Paul Birch, general manager of Willie Creek Pearl Farm.

From The Guardian • Jan. 2, 2016

I understood that both these things grew out of the same fetal gonad, but that didn’t matter.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides